Mexico, Baja California, Los Cabos. A school of mobulas swim in a tight group inside the bay of Los Cabos. Vizl says people often misidentify them because their appearance is similar to manta rays', which are in the same family. Species of this genus are often collectively referred to as "devil rays," "flying mobula," or simply "flying rays," due to their propensity for breaching—and usually in a spectacular manner. "Every year, thousands of them gather in the waters around Los Cabos bay, swimming in several very large schools, where they are very easily spotted because of their regular jumps."

USA, Florida, Jupiter. Portrait of a goliath grouper with its mouth open, surrounded by small fish. "Every year, thousands of these magnificent animals gather in the waters off the coast of South Florida to be present for a very special day during a full moon in September," Vizl says. "This is when they all synchronize their biological clocks and mate during a fascinating spawning ritual."

Mexico, Guerrero, Ixtapa. Half-and-half image of a sea turtle resting on top of a log among fish beneath the waves, some 10 miles off the coast. "I love spending time in open ocean off the coast of Ixtapa, looking for life in the ocean," says Vizl. "I specifically look for floating logs that usually attract all kinds of marine animals. In this case, the log was being used by some fish, and a sea turtle was just relaxing and playing around the log."

Mexico, Guerrero, Ixtapa. Half-and-half portrait of two jellyfish swimming in the open ocean some five miles off the coast, on a cloudy day. "I love going out to the open ocean in this area of Mexico because there is a lot of life that you can encounter," says Vizl. "You can find thousands of fish, turtles, sharks, and dolphins. But on this special day, I encountered thousands of jellyfish that were floating together on the surface. I went into the water and started taking pictures of them, but after about five minutes they all started to go down and disappeared into the deep. Some of them could not dive because they had tiny bubbles of air trapped in their bodies, like the one in this picture. If you look close into his upper-body part, which is touching the surface of the water, you'll see the air bubble that prevented this jellyfish from going deeper but allowed me to take this picture. After some time, all of the jellyfish managed to get rid of their bubbles and follow the rest of the group."

Mexico, Baja California, La Paz. A cannonball jellyfish (Stomolophus meleagris) near the surface. "A bit of a funny story because I was photographing whale sharks in this area, but this small round-shaped jellyfish caught my eye, together with the countless particles that were floating at the surface, creating this magical scenario, so I decided to invest some time photographing them," says Vizl. "They may be not as attractive as the biggest fish in the ocean, but they sure are very photogenic!"

Mexico, Guerrero, Ixtapa. A family of wild dolphins swimming beneath the waves some 10 miles off the coast. "There are very large pods of resident dolphins in this area, and I have jumped dozens of times with them, only to find that they are not very attracted by my presence and tend to swim away," Vizl says. "But persistence is key, and combined with patience, has granted me some amazing close encounters like the one captured in this image—they came very close to check me out."

Costa Rica, Guanacaste, Playa Hermosa. A jellyfish swimming at mid-water. "It was my first time diving in the waters of Costa Rica, and I was fortunate to find a huge school of jellyfish drifting with the current," says Vizl. "Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals with umbrella-shaped bells and trailing tentacles. Their bell can pulsate to provide propulsion and highly efficient locomotion. The tentacles are armed with stinging cells and may be used to capture prey and defend against predators. I found them fascinating and beautiful, so the intention with this image was to capture their amazing natural design."

Mexico, Baja California, Sea of Cortez, La Paz. Portrait of a male sea lion swimming at La Lobera. "The California sea lion lives along the western coast and islands of North America, from Southeast Alaska to central Mexico. Near La Paz, a permanent colony of hundreds of individuals live throughout the year on a small island called La Lobera," Vizl says. "These denizens are known for their intelligence, playfulness, and noisy barking. California sea lions are very social animals, and groups often rest closely packed together at favored haul-out sites on land, or float together on the ocean's surface in 'rafts.' This magnificent male was resting very close to me, enjoying an afternoon of perfect water conditions."

Mexico, Quintana Roo, Puerto Morelos. Three spotted eagle rays swim near a sandy bottom, some 80 feet away from a shipwreck site. "When in shallow waters or outside their normal swimming areas, the rays are most commonly seen alone, but they also congregate in schools," Vizl says. "One form of traveling is called 'loose aggregation,' which is when three to 16 rays are swimming in a loose group, with occasional interactions between them. Every winter, schools of rays visit the waters of Quintana Roo, where it is possible to dive with them in various areas."

Ixtapa, Guerrero, Mexico. Close-up of a green moray eel at Manzanillo dive site. "The green moray is actually brown!" Vizl shares. "The yellow tint of the mucus that covers its body, in combination with the drab background color, gives the fish its namesake green color. Green morays are sedentary predators with strong teeth. Rather than hunting for food, they wait until food comes to them. Part of their vicious reputation may come from the fact that they habitually open and close their mouths, which shows off their sharp teeth. Although this behavior may appear threatening, the eel is actually taking in water to breathe. The water passes over the gills and exits through vent-like openings at the back of the head."

USA, Florida, Castor wreck. A goliath grouper is surrounded by a school of small fish. "A fitting name," says Vizl, "because they may reach extremely large sizes, up to 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) and can weigh close to 360 kilograms (790 pounds), but they are usually around 180 kilograms (400 pounds) when mature. Sadly, they are considered fine food, so they are highly sought after by fishermen. They are relatively easy prey for spear fishermen because of their inquisitive and generally fearless nature. They spawn in large aggregations, returning annually to the same locations and in this case, the coast off Florida, where they gather annually around September."

Ixtapa, Guerrero, Mexico. A sily shark swims in mid-water 10 miles off the coast, followed by some fish,

Christian Vizl